Trepidation
by vvheel
Summary: It was hard to save face when he was breaking in front of her. Post-Raw 08/18/2014. Dean/Emma.


**Disclaimer: Everything I'm being creative with here belongs to the WWE.**

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She had let him go into that match expecting he wouldn't come out the same. He never did when Seth was involved. She should have kept worrying but he wouldn't have liked that. Last time she tried to stop him, he had firmly gripped her arms and told her that there was nothing she could do to keep him out of the ring. And she had believed him because the look in his eyes said he was filled to the brim with lust for revenge.

She might have flinched when Seth's foot pushed his head through the cinder blocks. She wanted tears to fill her eyes so that she could openly weep for him but all the pride inside her and the will to be strong for him stopped her. Natalya's cool hand was on her shoulder and she turned away from the monitor when the referee started yelling "I need help. This man is going to die!"

Natalya held her close as she began shaking because there was nothing she could do. Her whole body was on fire and she wanted nothing more than to run to the arena, push through the medics, just to see him. No matter how close he was to death, she knew he wouldn't have liked that. He liked things kept under wraps. It was how he operated. And she had come to accept that.

She accepted how he didn't like to talk things out and how he liked to keep his personal life just that, personal. So she waited. Natalya let her go and she waited backstage, listening to the crowd cheer when Dean waved at them. This was his hometown. He should be leaving victorious. But as Seth passed her in the hallway, she realized nothing was victorious.

She made a move towards him. It was brave and it was stupid but she wanted answers. She placed a hand on his chest stopping him. He didn't look her in the eye. "Seth..." she started, but he shook his head and brushed past her, back to the locker room. That didn't look like a winner.

Behind him came Kane. She would do nothing to stop that man. If anyone looked like a winner, it was him, albeit a very pissed off winner. He still had his jacket draped on his arm and he gave her a glare that dared her to get in his way. She chose to step away from him as he passed. Kane stopped momentarily, looking like he would maybe speak to her, but he just frowned deeply and headed back after Seth, pulling on his suit jacket.

Emma looked after them, but turned when she heard the commotion coming from the entrance. Dean was being pulled on a stretcher by a team of medics as they monitored his condition. The look on their faces only made her worry more. She tentatively approached while they were directing the ambulance in. Only two of the medics came into the ambulance with him and one of them beckoned her inside when they spotted her.

Slowly, she reached for his hand when the ambulance began to drive to the hospital. He immediately squeezed hers in reply, the only response he'd given since the wave to the crowd. He was staring up at the ceiling with a dull look in his eyes. But she couldn't cry yet, she couldn't be scared yet because there were still two other people in there with them and they were discussing his condition in hushed tones. One of them leaned forward to examine Dean's forehead.

"The good news is that I see no cuts or bleeding. A lot of bruising."

She nodded, looking down at him as he blinked up at the ambulance's lighting. She bit her lip. She had to be strong. There was no way he would ever forgive her if she broke down now. She squeezed his taped-up hand tighter, feeling it start to unravel with the sweat on his palms. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to keep calm.

Keep calm for him. That was all she could do. Because she would never say a word to anyone, even to him, but she saw the look in his eyes. "Em..." he muttered and it took everything within her not to respond. She brushed her hair behind her ear with her free hand. The tone in his voice spoke volumes.

He was scared.

She grimaced, the fear beginning to seep out of her. Because the man that was scared of nothing was actually starting to unravel in front of her right now. She held her ground. Dean used to laugh at her when she asked him if he was scared of anything. He used to give her that cocky grin and tell her that he was the bravest man in the world and no deathmatch veteran could be held back by something as petty as fear.

And it wasn't just the cinderblocks and the curbstomp or the chokeslam into the table or even landing on the pile of steel chairs. It was that Seth, the very man that he loved and hated, used his foot to crush his skull through a foot of rock. With no hesitation. It was there that Dean might have given up. There really was no hope for Seth if he was willing to do that.

Slowly, she ran her free hand on his arm. "I'm here, Dean."

She wanted nothing more than to go home with him to his residency in Las Vegas, a cozy condo not far from the hospital. She wanted to lay in bed with him in the dark with him just mumbling about his day and how stupid everyone was while he combed his fingers through her hair. That's what he did whenever she was scared. He just held her.

She couldn't hold him. Not now, maybe not for a long time. He would recede back into his armor and try to push her away just like last time. But that was in the future. When he was out of the hospital and healing. For now he was battered and bruised and helpless, so helpless.

The only thing that held her together was the strength he used to held her hand. Despite the fear and the pain and the dazed look in his eyes, she felt how strong he was. He was going to be back. And when he came back, Seth would rue the day he made Dean Ambrose experience fear.


End file.
